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Delivery Status for iPhone and iPad App Review

Review Date: October, 10

iPhone, iPad, iPod

Shipping a package is one of those things that more or less everyone does at some point or on a regular basis if you are a hopeless DVD collector like me. A common feeling among people waiting for a package is that mixture of anticipation for your new product, impatience brought on by not having it yet and an unshakeable feeling of anxiety, because there is always that possibility that your very important package could be lost or damaged in transit or delivered to the wrong place. While not everyone worries this much when waiting, it is nice to know that there is handy app out there for tracking these orders.

Most companies will allow you to track orders already but only in a very vague sense and it rarely amounts to more than a status saying “dispatched”. Delivery Status is an app for the iPhone and iPad that seeks to remedy this, offering a more detailed view of any pending deliveries for just $4.99 from the App Store.

The iPhone version is good but to get the most out of the app you would be better off opting for the iPad version if possible as you will be presented with a much more accessible interface. On one side of the screen you get a handy list of any orders you are waiting for all collected in one place. They are organised based on when they are expected to arrive while colour coding makes it easier to see what is coming from which carrier, but they also provide other details, such as the name of the item and an ETA.

This list lies to the right of a large map that covers most of the screen and selecting an item from the list will show roughly where it is on the map. It will not follow the exact journey of your package in real time however but will use information from the carrier to show more or less how close it is to you. Other details will be visible below the map too, such as the tracking number and anything else you would expect from an order confirmation.

On the iPhone screen you can only view the list on its own, while tapping an entry will take you to the map with the details. This is hardly a complaint as it only adds a few seconds to the time it takes to check a delivery and if it were all to be on one screen it would look a bit cluttered. The app has been adapted to fit the smaller screen as best as it can and it works perfectly well.

Delivery Status is a very useful app if you do order things online often, although it might not be worth the price if you only make purchases like this occasionally. For those who want to keep an eye on their orders though, this is a great little app that truly delivers.